ASK TIA TENOPIA 8.22.11

Que ‘Hubo my peeps! Your Tia Tenopia here, and this week we have new cinema, history and art on Latinopia!

In cinema we showcase a new work by veteran documentary film makers Paul Espinosa and Mark Day. Paul is renowned for such classic PBS documentaries on La Raza as “The Hunt for Pancho Villa” and “The Lemon Grove Incident.” Mark Day has been previously featured on Latinopia for his documentary “The San Patricios” which we reprise ‘pa que no se les olvide–so you can check it out again! But these two fierce film makers have now joined forces to create a new documentary on a legendary San Diego Chicano music group, Los Alacranes (The Scorpions). Check out “Rising Souls, Singing Scorpions.” YHD (y Hablando de) the filmmakers are trying to raise funds to complete this important doc. Check out their website www.chunkyfilm.com to see how you can help them out!

In a Moment in Time, we go back to 1974, to a time when around 100 Chicano theater companies from throughout the United States participated in an international festival of theater companies from all over Latin America that was held in Mexico. The culmination of the festival was performances by Chicano teatros at the Teotihuacan, an ancient and revered archeological site outside of Mexico City. Check out this fascinating moment in our history. And in art, we visit a new interview with acclaimed poet and artist, el maestro, José Montoya, in his own words.

For the last few years it has seemed inevitable, but it was still a bit of a shock and certainly rather sad when it actually happened. The remarkable Fidel Castro died. He was 90. In a strange sense we almost assumed he would live forever. His legacy will probably live forever. He transformed Cuba for […]

It is astonishing the lengths to which a person, or a people, will go in order to avoid a truthful mirror. —James Baldwin Recently, I visited the San Antonio studio of artist Vincent Valdez. He was putting the final touches on a massive five-panel painting, titled The City I and II. I’d previously read about […]

New On Latinopia

Rubén Martínez is a journalist, author and musician whose recent book “Desert America” chronicles, among other things, the high rate of heroin addiction among Hispanos in New Mexico’s rural communities. While living in Velarde, New Mexico Rubén was able to witness the destructive force of addiction in the lives of his two neighbors, José and […]

Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo is a poet and teacher from Asuza, California. She volunteered with No More Deaths, a humanitarian organization providing water bottles in the Arizona desert where immigrants crossing from Mexico often die of exposure. She read her poem, “Our Lady of the Water Gallons” at a Mental Cocido (Mental Stew) gathering of Latino authors […]

Delta Groove Music recording artist Los FabuLocos is a Southern California band whose unique sound, “Cali-Mex,”is a fusion of blues, Americana and Chicano soul music. Band members include Jesús Cuevas, accordion and vocals; Rubén Guaderama, guitar,bajo sexto, tres and vocals; James Barrios, bass and vocals; Mike Molina, drums and Kid Ramos, guitar( not in this […]